Electrical socket assembly



R. w. FRASER ET AL ELECTRICAL SOCKET ASSEMBLY June 14, 1960 1 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 5, 1957 FIG] \NVENTORS: ROBERT W. FRASER VINCENT R. HER mm? TERKIK,

6 ATToR NEY.

June 14, 1960 R. w. FRASER ETAL 2,941,181

ELECTRICAL SOCKET ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 5, 1957 s R O T N E V N ROBERT W. FRASER, VINCENT R. HERTER\ Bv lfi c ATTOR NEY United States Patt ELECTRICAL SOCKET ASSEMBLY Robert W. Fraser, Waltham, and Vincent R. Herterick, Lexington, Mass, assignors to United-Carr Fastener Corporation, Boston, Mass., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 5, 1957, Ser. No. 643,995

1 Claim. (Cl. 339-119) This invention relates generally to a socket for series lamps and more particularly to one which will operate as a string of Christmas tree or other lamps.

The main object of the invention is to provide an electrical socket of the type above referred to which can be made of a minimum number of parts and produced at a minimum of cost and which the contact elements may be securely positioned and retained in the body in correct alignment without the use of screws, rivets or other securing devices.

A further object is to provide an electrical socket construction whereby the wiring may be attached to the contacts by machine methods.

A further object is to provide an electrical socket construction in which the outer insulated shell enters into snap engagement with the body of the device.

A further object of the invention is to provide a socket which is adapted to use an inexpensive bi-pin type bulb.

A further object of the invention is to provide an electrical socket assembly whereby the wiring has an integral strain relief resulting from the positioning of the elements of the assembly.

Other objects of the invention will, in part, be obvious, and'will, in part, appear hereinafter.

Fig. 1 is a view of the socket assembly in front elevation.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the socket assembly as seen in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end View as seen from the right of the fastener of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 2, partly in elevation having a two pronged bulb inserted therein.

Fig. 5 is a section on line 55 of Fig. 2 partly in elevation.

Fig. .6 is a top plan view of the nylon insulating shell.

Fig. 7 is a section on line 77 of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the body of the device.

Fig. 9 is a section on line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a section on line 10-10 of Fig. 8 having the Contact elements inserted therein.

Fig. 11 is a front elevation of the socket as shown in Fig. 8.

- Fig. '12 is a bottom plan view of the socket as shown in Fig. 8 having wires attached to the contact elements.

Fig. 13 is a section on line 13-13 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 14 is a view of the socket assembly shown in Fig. l as viewed from the right side partially assembled.

Fig. 15 is a traverse section of a modified form of the socket assembly similar to Fig. 10'.

Fig. 16 is a section on line 1616 of Fig. 15.

Fig. 17 is an exploded view in perspective of a modified form of the body of the socket and the contact.

Referring to the drawing, there is illustrated an electrical socket assembly 10, comprising an insulating socket body 12 which is adapted for receiving and retaining female connector members 14 and 16, the socket body tending through the slots.

12 adapted for entering into snap engagement with an insulating shell 18 having a bracket 20 aflix-ed thereto for attaching the socket assembly to the branch of a tree.

The socket body 12 may be molded from any suitable rigid insulating material such as a phenolic resin.- The female connector members 14 and 16 are formed of a conducting material and may be made by stamping the same out of a strip of conducting material and formed into the shape as indicated in Fig. 10 or into the modified form as shown in Fig. 17. The insulating shell 18 may be molded from any semi-resilient insulating material such as nylon.

The socket body 12 is of generally rectangular form having two contact elements 14 and 16 assembled therewith. The interior of the body is molded so that it is formed with a recessed portion 22 extending downwardly from the upper surface 24, two spaced apertures 26 and 28 extending downwardly from the recessed portion 22 and two slots 30 and 32 extending downwardly through the aperture and open to the bottom wall 34 of the body 12 for non-rotatively retaining solder lugs 35 of the female connector members 14 and 16.

The apertures 26- and 28 formed within the body 12 are generally rectangular in shape and are made of substantially the same width as the width of the female connector members 14 and 16. The exterior side walls of the body 36 and 38 taper from the top surface 24 to the bottom wall 34 and have disposed thereon, just below the top surface, a longitudinal extending ridge 40 adapted for snap engagement with a corresponding groove 42 on the inner surface of the outer insulating shell 18 and a laterally extending ridge 43 for engaging a retaining tang 45 of the attaching bracket 20. The end walls 44 and 46 have a vertical ridge extending the height of the body 12 for traveling in corresponding slots 48 on the end wall 50 of the outer shell '18.

The outer shell comprises a bifurcated closed bottom hollow structure having the aforesaid laterally extending groove 42 on the inner surface of the side walls 52 and vertically extending slots 48 on the end walls 50.

The modified form of the assembly as shown in Figs. 15-17 comprises a socket body 12a formed with a recessed portion 22a extending downwardly from the upper surface 24a, two spaced apertures 2.6a extending downwardly fromthe recessed portion 22a and open to the 'bottom wall 34a of the body 12a. A ridge portion 54a is formed within the apertures 26a for retaining the female connector members 14a with the solder lug 35a extending downwardly therefrom.

To assemble the electrical socket, the female connector members 14 and 16 are inserted through the top of the spaced apertures 26 and 28 with the solder lugs 35 ex- Suitable wiring is attached to the solder lugs 35, the attaching bracket is placed with the retaining tang 45 positioned under the laterally extending abutment 43 and the bifurcated closed bottom hollow outer shell 18 is snapped into position enclosing the socket body 12.

To asserrrble the modified form the female connector elements 14a with the wiring attached to the solder lugs 35a are snapped into engagement through the bottom wall 34a of socket body 12a. The female connectors being retained in position by the stepped portion 54a and the attaching clip and the bifurcated closed bottom outer shell snapped into position as in the foregoing assembly.

It will be seen in the above described construction of the electrical socket assembly of my invention that the female connector members can be quickly and easily positioned in the body without the use of other than integral retaining means and can easily be removed for replacement, furthermore, the positioning of the outer in the device Without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained herein be interpreted in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

We claim:

A lamp socket device comprising, in combination, a body member having electrical contact members mounted therein, a flexible cup-like covering shell engaging over said body member and an attaching bracket assembled as a part of the device whereby the device maybe attached to a support when the support is inserted between a bracket and the covering shell, said body member and covering shell having cooperating male and female snap engaging and disengaging means whereby the shell may be snapped into engagement with and disengagement 4 ,7 from said body member at will, said attaching bracket having a p rt n c ted at t e outside of said coverin shell and another portion extending between said shell and said body member and being anchored in place by interengaging portions provided partly by said bracket and partly by said body member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,083,836 Glade a June 15, 1937 2,182,446 Nelson n Dec. 5, 1939 2,201,578 Grohsgal May 21, 1940 2,427,991 Del Camp Sept. 23, 1947 2,499,825 Havlicek Mar. 7, 1950 2,587,239 Smith Feb. 26, 1952 2,647,245 Gilbert July 28, 1953 2,657,367 Brooks Oct. 27, 1953 2,749,527 Gast June 5, 1956 Christenberry July 23, 1957 

